In the operation of construction machines, particularly those that are exceptionally large, the weight of the machines and the torque required to drive the machines often creates excessive heat and wear in the various drive components. One example of this occurs in the axle assemblies of the larger machines such as off highway trucks that work in mines. During normal operation of these trucks, the components from the differential and the final drives experience a small amount of wear from the meshing of gear teeth under high load. As this wear occurs, small particles of the components become suspended in the lubricating oil that circulates through the system. As these particles within the fluid increase the wear will also increase and will eventually result in the failure of one of the components within the axle assembly.
Another byproduct of the operation of the axle assembly of a large machine is excessive heat. In the final drive assemblies for example, a plurality of gears and plant carriers are driven under tremendous loads to provide output to the wheels of the machine. During this operation, it is quite normal for heat to build up within the wheel assemblies. This build up of heat can be alleviated somewhat by the introduction of oil within the system, however the presence of too much oil within the wheel assembly can be a source of heat itself since the churning of the gears and components will tend to heat up the fluid. This heat has also been known to accelerate the wear of the components within the axle assembly.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.